Yankees vs Tigers: What We Learned from the Bombers' 3-0 Game 2 ALCS Loss

Before the game, I said Game 2 of the ALCS was a must-win for the Yankees.

After losing 6-4 to the Tigers in Game 1, along with Derek Jeter for the remainder of the postseason due to a fractured ankle, the Yankees came in needing to win Game 2.

Instead, the offense was non-existent, and Anibal Sanchez pitched a gem for Detroit as they won 3-0 in Game 2 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium.

Now down 0-2, the Yankees will take Monday to travel to Detroit and continue the series at Comerica Park and attempt to keep the series alive and look to bring it back to the Bronx.

What did we learn from the Yankees in Game 2 on Sunday night?

Click through to find out.

Nick Swisher Will Not Be a Yankee in 2013

I am absolutely fed up with watching Nick Swisher in pinstripes, and I bet many of you are, too.

Yes, he is a decent hitter in the regular season, but he is downright awful in October.

After Game 2, Swisher is hitting .154 in the playoffs for the Yankees. In Game 2, Swisher went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and looks absolutely overpowered at times when up to bat.

The fans are clearly getting sick of Swisher as well—you know they are because after every time he strikes out, the fans shower him with boos.

As a pending free agent this coming winter, Swisher has worn out his welcome in the Bronx.

And even if the Yankees somehow rally to beat Detroit in the ALCS, the Yankees need to part ways with Swisher once the season is over.

Don't Be Shocked If the Yankees Try to Deal Alex Rodriguez This Winter

It's sad when you watch Alex Rodriguez at the plate in the postseason, and you know he's an automatic out.

In the postseason, he's hitting .130. Already in the ALCS, A-Rod is hitting 1-for-7, a .142 average.

In Game 2, he went 1-for-4 with two more strikeouts, which brings his postseason total of strikeouts to 12. He has more strikeouts in October than he does total hits, which is three.

Lets be honest here, A-Rod has become an absolute embarrassment. As a 37-year old, he is not worth the $29 million the Yankees are forced to pay him.

And come this winter, do not be surprised if Yankees GM Brian Cashman looks to try and deal A-Rod and the rest of his contract.

Even if it meant the Yankees have to take on a chunk of it to entice teams to be interested, I think Cashman knows that he can't keep having A-Rod have failures over and over again each October.

Another Quality Start Gets Thrown Away

For the second straight game, the Yankees offense betrayed the starting pitcher.

In Game 1, Andy Pettitte gave the Yankees a second quality start, allowing two runs over seven innings and would have taken the loss if not for the Yankees rallying in the ninth inning.

In Game 2, Hiroki Kuroda was the victim, because he pitched a fantastic game on Sunday.

Going on short rest, Kuroda went 7.2 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, walked none and struck out 11.

If not for a bad call by umpire Jeff Nelson, Kuroda gives up only one run, but we'll get to that scenario on another slide.

Kuroda has been sensational for the Yankees in his two starts but has nothing to show for it because the Yankees haven't given him a shred of run support.

He was simply dominant against the Tigers offense and deserved a better fate on Sunday.

Derek Jeter Is Missed in the Lineup

We all wondered how the Yankees lineup would be affected by the loss of Derek Jeter.

It was felt in Game 2, as the Yankee offense was held to just four hits.

Before he got hurt in the 12th inning of Game 1, Jeter was hitting .333 for the Yankees and may have been their most consistent hitter at the leadoff spot.

Everyone knows Jeter's passion for the game, and his will to win is one of the strongest of any player in the sport right now, and at 38 years old, it has not stopped.

So by taking out the heart and soul of the team, it has caused a major negative effect on this team, and honestly, it might be one that they can't recover from.

Sure, Jayson Nix can play an adequate shortstop in the field, but at the plate, on the field and in the dugout, he is no Jeter.

As the series with Detroit continues on at Comerica Park, the Yankees will continue to miss their captain in the lineup making a positive impact.

The Umpire's Blown Call Cost the Yankees Two Runs

In the bottom of the eighth inning, controversy reared its ugly head on the field.

With Omar Infante on first, Austin Jackson singled to right field, and Nick Swisher fired the ball quickly to Robinson Cano at second base.

Infante had gone too far and slid back to second, but Cano had tagged Infante on the jersey before he got back to the base. Umpire Jeff Nelson called Infante safe, which caused Cano and then Joe Girardi to argue the call.

On TBS, we all saw on the replay that Infante was out by at least a foot, but Nelson didn't see the tag from where he was positioned and where Cano's glove was.

This is one of those moments in the postseason where an instant replay could have helped the umpires reverse a mistake and gotten a call right.

Later on in the inning, the Tigers were able to tack on two more runs and increase the lead to 3-0.

But because of the blown call, it prolonged the inning, instead of being the third out and keeping the game at 1-0.

Girardi later argued the call again and got tossed. But he got tossed for the right reason.

The Yankees Might Not Survive Detroit

As the series heads to Detroit, I have a very bad feeling.

I don't think the Yankees are going to be able to survive playing on the road against the Tigers, given how they have played in the first two games.

Their offense has been giving away opportunities to score runs and help out the starters, and now that Derek Jeter is out of the lineup, that makes an already struggling offense even worse.

The Yankees in the past have not had great success playing at Comerica Park in the postseason; they are 1-3 in four games there.

Back in 2006 in the ALDS, the series was tied 1-1 before heading to Detroit for two games, and the Yankees lost both of them and were eliminated and never got the series back to the Bronx.

I can see a similar situation happening with the next three games at Detroit.

In my last story, I said if the Yankees fell behind 0-2, they were in serious trouble going into Game 3 and facing Justin Verlander.

If Verlander is on his game, the Yankees have no shot, and they may find themselves having an early exit to their 2012 season.

Of course many fans are hoping that the Yankees offense will wake up on the road, but I just don't see it happening.

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.